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kazpilot25

12 East Help

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Hey guys I’m up here on the 12A East rifle hunt and in the past 2 days have seen nothing but does. About 50 of them. Does anyone know what that could mean? Still up high? I’ve talked to a few other hunters who have been up here several times and have had the same experience this year. Previously they said they’d see several bucks by now. Any help is greatly appreciated. 
 

I’m hunting around the 225 road at about 8200-8400’

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After opening day they ghost pretty hard, and go nocturnal. You are going to have to get into good glassing areas and get deeper.

I would be looking in the transition areas between the 225 road and 220 road. Road 224 will take you down the hill if you need to go down to the 220.

From the 220 you can glass back up the canyons up high.

We had the hunt last year, and it was much tougher then I thought it would be. I put down a decent buck the first morning, but after that they were ghosts. We ended up pulling out a small fork horn near the highway south of Jacobs on day 6. We hunted pretty hard for days 1-5. 6 we resorted to road hunting because of my buddies knee being beat up, but it paid off with that little fork.

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Stay at the edge of the sage and what tall brown grass you can find, the bucks with bed in the little lots of trees and scrubs around the grass and sage during the day.

220 road while a community hunting highway is always good at the low elevations early and late hunt. mainly cause few hunt it. everyone thinks they need to go into the pines to find bucks

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Bucks will be more plentiful up top this time of year.  There are bucks low, but they are the residents that stay low all year.  Glassing is your friend.  We see the from the highest to the transition during the early hunt.  Depending on how dry it is up there, water is always a good bet.  Hope you saved all the water waypoints.  There are a bunch, even if 60% are dry.

466006273_Screenshot_20191025-154810_onXHunt.thumb.jpg.f42379d67b93ba44824dd90fab8f876a.jpg

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Thanks everyone. I’m working my way through these little cuts between all the two trackers and glassing as I go. 
 

it’s very dry up here, zero dirt tanks have water and aabout 60% of the truck tanks have water. 

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1st option is glass the burn. 2nd option is glass the burn. 3rd option is glass the burn.  If you get sick of glassing the burn try glassing the burn some more.  If you really get bored go low and glass off the highest points you can find downhill.  But for the most part find a good vantage point and glass the burn.  A tripod and a pair of 15s are a must have.

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Also, you'll be amazed how many people are gone after Sunday.  By Wednesday its becoming a ghost town.  You'll glass more bucks mid week and after.  

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Jolly Sink. 205 rd. Bucks will be running together. Get pretty nocturnal. Not good glassing up top. Bucks will be in the thick cover in the canyons all day. If you jump one there will likely be many. 

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Update: went down low and they’re not there yet. No tracks at any water tanks. 
 

up high checked all water tanks and trick tanks in the big area around Jacob lake. Only one little trick Tank has water, and only a little. I’m starting to think they’ve left this area in search of water. IT IS DRY!

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There are springs up there that the deer know of and we dont. They havnt left. 

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All the does you saw are where the water is or they would be gone. Keep checking on them and the bucks will be coming along looking for a girl friend.

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Keep glassing the burn! Get out in the early a.m. and glass while it's still dark by the time there is light they are already in bed or moving to bed quickly you have like 10 minutes of light glass and they're going to be gone they are in the burn I promise you

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Looks like Tuesday night the low will be 5 and Wednesday the high 32 for Jacob's Lake. They should be out and may start moving down.

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2 hours ago, AZkiller said:

Looks like Tuesday night the low will be 5 and Wednesday the high 32 for Jacob's Lake. They should be out and may start moving down.

I hunted it 22/23 years ago and it was bitter cold sleeping in my camper shell.

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